


London

by SilverThestral



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, F/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:14:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25243708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverThestral/pseuds/SilverThestral
Summary: Blackinnon Week 2020A Week of Firsts - Muggle AUAll Prompts Included
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. Hello

Sirius enjoyed taking the Tube, probably more than the average person. Something about the rhythm and the movement of the train on the tracks calmed him. He liked people watching to. He’d sit there with his coffee that he got from a small café next to his work as he rode home, sneakily observing those who came on off the crowded shuttle. It was rare someone truly caught his attention.

He was a lawyer. He and his suit were used to paying attention to detail. He could catch a liar from a mile away and be able to keep it to himself until it counted, at trail. He was twenty four and had still never had a steady girlfriend. He didn’t particularly want one. He rather enjoyed it when his phone would buzz at work, he’d flip it over and see on the large touch screen that it was some girl he’d met the night before trying to link up again. He’d never reply to texts like that

He felt the phone vibrate in his pocket, but this time, he didn’t bother picking it up. He knew it was James, his best friend, trying to get him to come out tonight. It was a Friday, but Sirius was exhausted. Unlike James, who worked as a Netflix researcher for the popular television series, _The Crown,_ Sirius’s job tended to take more out of him. He had gone into work at seven thirty this morning. He was leaving it at ten, his suit feeling rather crumpled and his tie loose around his neck. He wasn’t in the mood to go out.

A lawyer hadn’t been his first choice, career wise, but his parents were adamant for him to study law. They had always been demanding and cold towards him, the eldest son of the family. His younger brother, Regulus, had always had it easier. He was allowed to be artistic.

Sirius hadn’t seen or spoken to his parents in over five years. He was successfully offered a place at London School of Economics and he left as soon as he could. After, he severed all contact and made his own way in life, without his parents. He still spoke to his brother occasionally, but there wasn’t much interest between them. 

He felt the train stop. Three more stops before he got off. This stop was King’s Cross, St. Pancras. He tossed his eyes back slightly. Lots of people got on at this stop with a mountain of suitcases. It got cramped and he hated it. He had predicted correctly. Sitting down, he was soon surrounded by a pile of suitcases. But something from the other end of the carriage had caught his eye.

She was blonde. Wavy, sort of wild. Quite tall, but then again, she was wearing heeled boots. A smattering of freckles across her nose. A yellow, hand-held, vintage suitcase in one hand. A tan brief-case looking thing in the other. A blue, floppy hat sat atop her head, shading some of her face. In the summer heat she wore a bra-like denim top, her tanned shoulders uncovered and part of her stomach showing. Her trousers were loose and flowy and also yellow, patterned with what looked like abstract navy and red flowers. Slung over one elbow was a denim jacket.

She looked the complete opposite of him. He looked down at himself in his grey suit, white shirt, and dark blue tie. He looked completely and utterly boring. Yes, he was aware that he had handsome features, many had told him so. He had a sharp jawline and defined cheekbones with striking grey eyes.

His gaze travelled back to the girl and he looked down to her feet. What he hadn’t noticed was that she had a small, collie dog panting by her feet. That fact made him smirk. He didn’t blame the dog for panting. It was an exceptionally warm day on the Tube. He could feel his own back sweating from the sweltering heat.

_Shit,_ he thought to himself as he felt the train stop again and looked out the window. His station had arrived. He quickly grabbed his briefcase and scrambled out of the packed train, muttering a sorry here and there to anyone he disturbed. He was not in the mood to miss his stop today. He was bloody tired.

He glanced back onto the train through the windows as he passed to see if he could spot the girl. She was certainly the most colourful on there, standing out amongst the businessmen and tired travellers. He couldn’t see her. She must have gotten off.

Along the way back to his flat, he stopped by his local supermarket, remembering that he had next to nothing in his fridge. He was pretty sure that the only thing to grace his kitchen cupboards was a packet of stale crisps and a few stray teabags. He grabbed himself a ready-made pasta meal and a pack of beers.

One of the charming parts of living on the British Isles was how long it stayed light during the summer. It was ten at night and it was only just reaching a dusky atmosphere. It made the walk back to his apartment far more pleasant. So he took the long way, through the park. It was a Saturday tomorrow, he could sleep in.

He’d done well for himself, being a rookie lawyer in a big London law firm. After thoroughly impressing his boss in the first few weeks, he received a hefty raise and bonus. He’d used it to purchase himself a good central flat. The outside walls were purely windows and gave him a beautiful view of the London skyline.

He punched in the code to open the large glass door that guarded the residents of the apartments from the rest of the world. It buzzed open and he checked his mailbox before heading up to the seventh floor where his apartment was located. He wanted nothing more than to kick off his shoes and relax on his couch in front of the television while his ready-meal pirouetted in the microwave.

Life had other plans for him. Without warning, he had the wind knocked out of him as someone darted the corner and ran full force into him. Grunting, he managed to lock one hand around the stair railings and the other around the waist of whoever had ambushed him, preventing them from hurtling down the stairs. He could feel bare skin underneath his fingertips. Whoever the waist belonged to, it was also small. His whole hand could fit around it halfway round.

‘I am _so_ sorry! Fucking hell, are you alright?’ a female voice erupted in his ear as he worked to balance them both. He set the woman straight in front of him and picked up the large iPhone and purse she’d dropped before looking at her, ready to give her the items.

He paused as he took her in. She was the girl from the Tube. She had the most brilliant blue eyes he’d ever seen.

‘I’m such an idiot, please forgive me,’ she continued her pandering, while Sirius shook himself out of his trance. He couldn’t help it. She was undeniably attractive.

‘Of course, don’t worry about me, I’m alright. Are you good?’ he asked. Somehow he’d managed to keep his voice smooth. She was two steps above him, which made them the same height.

‘Yeah, I’m good, I just need to start looking where I’m going,’ the girl chuckled. She had a nice laugh. Sirius also couldn’t help but notice the slight drawl of a Scottish accent. ‘I’m Marlene, by the way. Marlene McKinnon.’

‘Sirius Black,’ Sirius introduced himself, his head cocking in a slight nod as the blonde took her belongings back. ‘You new here? I’ve never seen you around before.’

‘Oh, I just moved into 7C. It’s rather lovely,’ Marlene grinned at him, but her words made Sirius frown.

‘Mrs Galloway moved out?’ Sirius asked curiously. Mrs Galloway had been his lovely, elderly neighbour ever since he’d moved in. She would always make sure he was feeding himself and had become some sort of a parental figure for him. They got along very well, despite the fact that her cat always seemed to give his dog, Padfoot, a mental breakdown.

It seemed strange that she’d leave without letting him know.

‘I guess so. The landlord told me that the tenant before me was moving in with her son somewhere. I was just happy I got the flat,’ Marlene explained.

‘We’re neighbours then,’ Sirius stated.

‘And apparently I’m the neighbour with the cooking skills,’ Marlene teased as she peered into his bag of shopping. ‘You look like you work somewhere important. I feel like you’re the type to have a girlfriend who would make him food when he got home.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Any guy in a suit looks a bit misogynistic.’

‘Hardcore feminist, right here, I haven’t got a girlfriend,’ Sirius smirked. He had to hand it to the blonde, it was a good way of finding out his situation.

‘That explains it, then,’ Marlene laughed. ‘I would invite you to mine, I’m making some homemade pizza, but I literally have no furniture in my apartment. I’m probably going to eat it off the floor.’

‘You’d invite a complete stranger to eat with you?’ Sirius quizzed, grinning.

‘We’re neighbours. Basically in bed together,’ she muttered sarcastically. Sirius let out a barking laugh, enjoying her satire.

‘Fair enough. You sure you should be running out of the building if you’ve got pizza in the oven?’ Sirius said, pointing out her debacle. Marlene huffed and rolled her eyes.

‘It’s not even in the oven yet. I stupidly forgot that I had no oregano and pizza is not pizza without oregano,’ Marlene’s chef tendencies took over. A look of amusement flashed over Sirius’s face.

‘Tell you what. You run out and buy the oregano and then come over to my flat. We can eat it there and I’ll supply the beer. I’ll be your welcome party, and it means you won’t have to eat off the floor,’ Sirius told her. ‘I’m apartment 7B.’

‘You’d invite a complete stranger into your apartment?’ Marlene winked as she taunted him with his own words.

‘We went to second base just a few minutes ago. I wouldn’t call you a complete stranger,’ he sent a wink back.

Soon enough, Sirius’s apartment was filled with the smell of home cooked pizza. Despite Sirius having a stunning dining table and chairs set, they’d somehow ended up eating on his fluffy rug on the floor and in front of the television anyway.

They got on really well, the conversation never ceasing. He had put on the television on in the background, just in case, but it turned out to only be used as background noise. Before long, they were onto their third beers and their two dogs had settled themselves on the sofa above them. Sirius had learned that Marlene’s dog was called Lola, and he could teel Padfoot had taken quite the charm to her.

‘Where did you go to uni?’

‘LSE.’

‘Oxford.’

‘Damn, we got a posh prick on our hands then,’ Sirius laughed as he moved his hand back to ruffle Padfoot’s head. Lola had settled her own chin of Padfoot’s back and the two were snoring happily.

Marlene shook her head in dismay. ‘Not in the slightest. I was just good enough to get in,’ she smirked as she took a sip of her beer. The corners of Sirius’s mouth twitched at her actions.

‘What did you study?’ he asked nonchalantly.

‘Biochemistry. I just graduated this summer and got a job in a lab at Imperial. I start on Monday,’ Marlene explained.

‘So, you’re twenty one?’

‘Twenty two. I did a Masters.’

‘And let me guess, you’re planning to do a PhD at one point?’ Sirius said as he stood up, picking up their two plates to head into the kitchen. Marlene scoffed at his words.

‘You sound very judgemental while saying that!’ she exclaimed as she followed him into the pristine white kitchen. Sirius dumped the plates into the sink and turned back to look at her.

‘This is London. Fucking everyone is looking to get a PhD. It’s the equivalent of doing the Legal Practice Course’ he said, grinning widely. Marlene rolled her eyes.

‘I forgot how up yourselves you lawyers are. You have a superiority complex,’ Marlene accused him playfully before her eyes strayed around the kitchen and landed on his wine rack. ‘Ooh, you have Pinot Grigio!’

‘Lawyered,’ Sirius retorted as he watched her head to the wine.

She pulled out a bottle and unscrewed it. She then padded back over to him and opened several of his top cupboards before finding the one with the glassware and pulled out two wine glasses. She poured a hefty amount into each one.

‘Help yourself,’ Sirius chuckled at her homely actions. For a second, it felt like she’d lived here for years.

‘I see wine, I move. It’s how I’m wired,’ Marlene looked at him through her lashes as she handed him a glass before taking a sip of her own. It made his stomach lurch slightly.

‘James would like you,’ he said casually, taking a sip of him own. He watched as Marlene placed her hipbone against the kitchen cabinets, her eyes placed on him thoughtfully.

‘Who’s James she asked.’

‘My best mate. We went to boarding school together,’ Sirius elaborated, humoured when Marlene burst into laughter.

‘And you had the nerve to call _me_ posh? You’re funny,’ Marlene chortled.

Sirius made a mental note. _Wine._

‘It was not as posh as you think,’ Sirius muttered into his glass, only making Marlene laugh more.

The moved back into the living room and now collapsed on the sofa instead of the floor, next to the dogs. The sky was now completely dark, only lights making up the silhouette of London over the Thames.

‘Would it be okay if I let Lola sleep here tonight? I don’t really want to move her, and she looks so cosy,’ Marlene whispered, her hand moved to stroke Lola’s long, soft fur. Sirius smiled lightly.

‘Of course.’

‘Think I’m going to head back home. I actually need to get up without a hangover if I want to start sorting anything,’ Marlene giggled, wobbling slightly as she stood up. Sirius followed suit.

‘Have you even got a bed?’ he asked, half playfully, half with genuine concern as he followed her to the front door. He hadn’t actually been inside her apartment yet. She had simply arrived, uncooked pizza in hand.

They reached the door and she turned round to face him, a drunk smile on her face.

‘I have a mattress. Apparently arrived earlier today. The landlord answered for it. Pillows and duvet as well,’ she spoke dreamily. Wine definitely went straight to her head.

‘Well. If you need anything, I’m just here,’ Sirius said, opening the door and she stepped out. He leaned against it for comfort.

‘I know. It was nice to meet you, Sirius Black. You’re a good guy. Anyone willing to look after my dog for a night is,’ she thanked him with a cute smile. He watched her as she unlocked her own door and stumbled in.

He closed his door and leaned back against it, hearing the rumble of dog snores from across the apartment. He smirked. 


	2. Bed

‘Guess who’s bed finally arrived,’ Sirius opened his door to an extremely happy Marlene, who was practically jumping up and down in front of them. 

Marlene had been his neighbour for a fair few months now. They had become fast friends. Friday pizza nights had now become a rather common occasion for them, much to James’s protests. Sirius after his long hours at work, however, was very happy to stuff his face with pizza and drink copious amounts of wine with his neighbour, relaxing with the dogs. Both apartments were now used for the night.

Marlene hadn’t met James, or any of Sirius’s friends yet. Sirius liked to say to himself that it was simply because the opportunity hadn’t come up, but he knew that was bullshit. It’s because he knew he didn’t want to deal with the teasing that came along with introducing her to the group. Sirius Black was actually friends with a female with no apparent ulterior motives. It was unheard of. James still insisted that was bollocks. 

Marlene had her own friends too. She hadn’t exactly asked Sirius if she could meet his friends. And why should she? After all, they were simply friends, nothing more. 

‘After only, what, five months?’ Sirius asked, satirically cocking his head to the side as he asked the rhetorical question. 

Marlene, as far as he knew, had been sleeping on her mattress the whole time while the rest of her bedroom was set up. He didn’t actually know what her bedroom looked like. He had only ever been in the other parts of the flat. She had been in his bedroom. 

He remembered the night vividly. She had texted him that she had a work-do and so wouldn’t be able to make it to pizza night. She was forgetful like that. She never showed up anywhere on time either, but Sirius actually found that quality quite endearing. He had texted her back a simple _‘Okay_ ’ and moved on with his day. 

That day had been particularly rough, contract wise. In all honesty, he knew he needed to get laid. He was frustrated and tense, and the best way to loosen himself up was to have sex. He texted James, asking if they could go out the following night, to which James almost instantly replied, very enthusiastically. 

He was in the middle of drinking a beer and watching an episode of _Suits_ (he quite enjoyed wildly unrealistic law dramas) when there was a bashing on his door, waking Padfoot up. He checked his phone to see that the time was two in the morning. He had been sat on the couch for longer than he thought. 

The Chinese takeaway not sitting too well in his stomach, he stood up and headed to the door, sighing deeply as he did so. He swung open the door to reveal Marlene, in all her drunk glory.

‘Sirius! I missed you!’ she had squealed and thrown her arms around him, causing him to stumble. He gathered himself quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist to stabilise her before removing her arms from his neck so he could look at her. His stomach did dive a bit from her welcome. 

‘Hey, what’s up,’ he chuckled at the dazed way she look at him. She pulled away from his grasp and started walking through his apartment, as though it was all completely new to her. 

‘I had a bit to drink,’ she answered him honestly, running up to Padfoot once she saw him and gushing over him. 

_Yeah, you soak up all the woman’s attention,_ Sirius thought to himself comedically, never thinking he’d feel slightly jealous of his dog. 

‘You don’t say,’ Sirius said, heading to the kitchen to pour Marlene a glass of water in attempts to sober her up. When he returned, water in hand, Marlene had disappeared from the room.He heard a loud thud from his bedroom.

‘Marls!’ he called out, headed to the white door that concealed where he slept. ‘Marley?’

‘Your bedroom is lovely!’ Marlene squealed as she spun around, arms in the air at the edge of his bed. Sirius grimaced at her words. It really wasn’t lovely. There were clothes strewn all over the floor, and his bed wasn’t made. He was thinking about how he really needed to clean it when all of a sudden, the blonde fell onto it and closed her eyes. 

‘Hey, no, Marls,’ Sirius had argued, ‘we’ve got to get you back to your bed. Come on.’

‘No, let me sleep, I’m tired,’ Marlene whined in a child-like voice, one Sirius couldn’t deny, he found cute.

‘You’ll sleep better in your own bed, come on, we’ll get you back,’ he tried to convince her, but Marlene shook her head know and buried her head further into one of his pillows. Sirius sighed as he watched her fall asleep in front of his eyes. 

_Funny and sleepy drunk,_ he thought. 

He managed to edge the duvet out from underneath her and covered her with it. He then grabbed the other pillow and a blanket from the floor and went to sleep on the couch. 

She woke up the next morning, hung over and even more tired. She apologised profusely to him, embarrassed at her behaviour, but Sirius assured her it was fine. He fixed her up with a hangover smoothie, a bacon roll and she headed back to her own apartment. After all, what were friends for.

‘Oh, don’t even get me started, I’m still raging at how long it took,’ Marlene rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, her eyes darting over him. ‘I do, however, need a favour.’

‘Oh really,’ Sirius smirked. ‘And what would that be?’

‘Well, the parts of the bed are kind of heavy, and I could really do with a strong guy to help me set it up,’ she said sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes at him. 

Sirius narrowed his eye playfully at the blonde. ‘Are you trying to butter me up, McKinnon?’

‘Yes, of course I am, now will you help me!’ Marlene demanded, throwing her arms down from their crossed position like a toddler, making Sirius laugh. 

So there he was, stood in Marlene McKinnon’s bedroom for the first time since he’d met her. It was very clean for a start, quite unlike the chaos that she exuberated. Her whole apartment was very clean, actually, aside from the occasional stray hair from Lola. It was white with pops of blue and yellow around, and a great big cardboard box in the middle and a mattress balanced against the wall. 

He was surprised to see she had a very well equipped toolbox, but she insisted on being very self-sufficient. He grabbed the essential screwdrivers and hammers required to build the bed from the instruction pamphlet and they set off to work. 

‘You know, you’ve never told me about your family,’ she mused as he showed her where to push in a screw. He raised his eyebrows slightly at the intimacy of her words. 

‘What do you want to know?’ he asked emotionlessly as he slid some panels together.

‘Any siblings?’ she asked shortly, looking up to him. Sirius couldn’t help but notice how she was on her knees, all wide eyed and expecting. He swallowed.

‘One. A brother. Younger one,’ he answered, forcing his eyes off her. He could feel his blood pumping faster. He wanted her on her knees much closer to him. 

‘Are you close?’

‘I’m not really close with any of my family,’ he told her. He wasn’t sure why. Marlene could probably get anything out of him if she wanted to. She had that effect on him. 

‘Oh. Mind me asking why?’ she asked, more timidly than before.

‘We just disagree on a lot. Different viewpoints. I haven’t seen them for a while now,’ he explained, scratching the back of his neck. 

‘What about your lot?’ Sirius asked, reverting the conversation back onto her. 

‘My family?’ she asked, earning her reply with a nod from him. 

‘Well, they’re not actually around anymore.’

‘What do you mean?’ Sirius frowned. 

‘My parents and my little brother, Mason, died in a car crash when I was eighteen. I was just about to go to uni. I’ve been supporting myself ever since,’ Marlene said, a sadness crossing her features. 

‘Fuck, Marley, I’m so sorry,’ Sirius said, taking her in. Marlene shook her head firmly. 

‘No, don’t be. They taught me to be strong. And I know they’re somewhere, watching over me. They’re half the reason I wanted to go to Oxford so badly. I wanted to make them proud,’ she said. Sirius felt his heart swell for her. 

‘It’d be hard not be proud of you,’ Sirius replied kindly and she sent him a small smile. 

‘Shush, you, keep building,’ she teasing, waving a screwdriver at him. He grinned. They finished building the bed and Marlene treated Sirius to a beer afterwards. Sirius loved the view from her lounge window. It looked over a different part of the Thames from him and you could see the Shard. 

‘Thank you for being my builder in shining armour,’ Marlene winked at him as he opened the front door to leave. He grinned as he looked back to her. 

‘No problem,’ he said. ‘Hey, I’m having some mates round tomorrow night, for some drinking and that, you know. I was wondering if you wanted to come?’ he asked her somewhat nervously. He relaxed when she did her signature smirk. 

‘Wow, so we’re getting pretty Sirius then, if I’m being allowed to meet the gang,’ she taunted him, which made him roll his eyes playfully. ‘Yes, of course I would love to come, what time?’ she grinned.

‘Around seven o’clock. And please don’t listen to a word James says, he’s a twat,’ Sirius laughed. 

As usual, Marlene was fashionably late on the night. She rocked up at quarter to eight. Sirius already had quite a few drinks in him. ‘I brought shots!’ she announced, holding up a bottle of vodka. Sirius couldn’t help but smirk at her. 

‘Get in here,’ he said, taking her and hand and pulling her in to meet everyone. Marlene scanned the room. Sirius started introducing everyone. 

James had round glasses and messy black hair that looked untameable, but he had a kind face. Remus had a bookish look about him as he sat in the couch, but very handsome in his own way. Lily had stunning red hair and, from how she was sat with James, was definitely his girlfriend or something. Dorcas had a heart shaped face and long brunette hair, he sweater covering her hands up to her fingertips. 

‘And everyone, this is Marlene,’ Sirius slurred, taking the bottle of vodka out of her hands, and collapsing onto the sofa. The surrounding lot giggled before sending chorus of welcomes Marlene’s way. She returned them and moved to sit on the floor next to Dorcas who immediately engaged her and Lily in conversation. 

‘We’re finally fucking even numbers, I’m glad!’ Lily cheered as she took a shot, gesturing to how there were now three guys and three girls. 

‘‘Cause you had it so difficult before, didn’t you,’ Remus retorted cheekily. 

‘Don’t test me, Lupin, I could beat your arse in a scrap any day,’ Lily hyped herself up. 

‘So, Marlene, what do you do?’ James asked her directly, to which she smiled in response. By this time in the night, she was slightly sloshed. 

‘I’m a biochemist,’ she stated, earning a few impressed looks. ‘I work down in a research lab at Imperial College London.’

‘What are you researching?’ Dorcas asked, intrigued. 

‘How we can slow down the degradation of the myelin sheath of neurons in MNR is I guess the simplest way to put it,’ she explained. 

‘MNR?’ Remus asked.

‘Motor Neuron Disease. It’s what Steven Hawking suffered from.’

‘Yeah, she’s fucking smart. Going for a PhD, that one,’ Sirius stated confidently, as he admired Marlene from his position. James smirked.

‘We should play a game,’ James announced, pulling Lily in closer to him by her waist.

‘And what would you like to play, honey?’ she asked, quite giggly. The two were quite full on with the PDA when they were tipsy.

‘Truth of dare,’ James replied, earning a groan from Dorcas, but she was grinning.

‘We are children!’ she exclaimed, but sat up, ready. ‘Let’s do this!’

They played for quite a while into the night, one of the funniest points being where James ended up taking a very unsuccessful tequila shot from Remus’s bellybutton. They fell about laughing after that. The forfeit for not performing the dare or answering the truth was a shot. The drunkenness was comical.

‘Dorcas, truth or dare?’ Lily asked.

‘Hit me with that truth, fucking hell,’ Dorcas, slurred, rubbing hr eyes which made Lily giggle. 

‘Favourite sexual position?’

‘Oh, it’s got to be doggy, nothing beats it,’ Dorcas answered dreamily. 

‘Anal?’ Remus asked cheekily. 

‘Fuck you!’ Dorcas gasped dramatically. ‘I am a lady! James, truth or dare?’

‘I’ll go truth as well, I can’t take a shot for not doing another dare,’ James gulped.

‘Favourite porn category?’ Dorcas giggled. 

‘Lily’s all the porn I need,’ James mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Lily’s neck, and kissing her. She whacked his arm. 

‘Don’t be boring, James Potter, answer the fucking question!’ she demanded, eyes shining with delight. James chuckled into her neck while Sirius cackled in the corner.

‘Never let her go, mate,’ Sirius chimed. 

‘Fine, schoolgirl, happy?’ James announced, blushing slightly, though whether it was from his answer or the alcohol, no one knew. 

‘You grim, power hungry man,’ Dorcas slated him. 

‘Mr Black!’ James yelled. ‘You’ve been getting away too easy I think. Truth or dare?’

‘Fuck it, I’ll go dare,’ Sirius said, sitting up straighter. James grinned evilly.

‘I dare you to pull the prettiest girl in the room,’ James smirked. 

Sirius rolled his eyes. He should have known that James would give him one like that, but he was also too drunk to make a smarter decision.

His eyes landed on Marlene, who was grinning at something Dorcas had whispered to her. He got to his feet and walked over to her before kneeling down in front of her, smirking. Dorcas giggled and Marlene turned his head to look at him, her eyes widening. 

‘Hey, love,’ he whispered, before wrapping his hand around her neck and pulling her to him.The kiss was electric. It lit him up like a million fireflies, left him tingling from his very core to the tips of his fingers and toes. In the background, he could hear James whooping, but he didn’t care. Her lips were soft against his, and it sobered him up enough to have him realise that she was kissing him back. She was pushing back against him, responding to his movement. 

He bit her lower lip and released it before leaving one more peck on those perfect lips. It was the most alive he’d felt in months. He watched as those brilliant blue eyes opened, she looked up to him through her lashes and it made him want to drag her to his bedroom and never let her out of his sight.

He wasn’t like this. He wasn’t one to obsess over a girl. He was the fuck and bail kind of guy, girls threw themselves at him. It was never hard for him to find a lay. But she never did. And it lit something up inside. He wanted her, badly. 

The group left together, including Marlene, back to their respective homes at around three in the morning. Dorcas gave him a final hug goodbye and he was left, alone in his apartment. His mind kept flashing back to the kiss, how desperately he wanted her. His flat was a tip with empty bottles lying around. He went to his bedroom to find Padfoot sprawled out on his bed in attempts to find some peace. He took his t-shirt off. And then he was out the door, topless. 

He knocked on her door. It didn’t take her long to answer, and when she did, he drank her in. She was wearing an oversized orange t-shirt that dropped to the top of her thighs. She probably had nothing on underneath. Her face was free of the make up she left his with, showing off her freckles. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail a few loose strands framing her face.She looked gorgeous.

‘Sirius, what are you doing here?’ she asked, frowning as she observed him. His eyes made their way back up from her thighs to her eyes. 

Without thinking he stepped into her flat pulled her into him by the waist and crashed his lips onto hers. He heard her moan slightly which made his skin feel on fire and he pulled her even closer. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and kissed him back. 

‘We’re going to fucking destroy that new bed,’ he moaned against his mouth as he hands went down to his belt. He still had his jeans on.She giggle at his words. 

‘Just as well I don’t have any panties on then,’ she teased as she kissed his neck. He growled animalistically at what she said and locked his hands underneath her thighs, instructing her to jump. She did and he pushed her against the wall, kicking the front door shut. 

He kissed her ravenously, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She responded perfectly, moaning at every move he made. He groped her arse one hand, holding her up, moving his other underneath her shirt. 

‘Fuck, you’re wet,’ he moaned as he moved a finger between her slits. She gasped just the way he wanted her to, making him grind into her. She pushed his jeans off his hips, and he kicked them off, leaving him in his black boxers.

Wet was an understatement. He thought was hard the second his lips touched hers, but now, it seemed all the blood from the rest of his body had rushed to his dick and he couldn’t think. All he could feel was that he needed her desperately. 

‘Sirius,’ she moaned softly as he slipped a finger inside of her. Then two. Then three. She threw her head back. She was loud. Sirius loved it.

‘Come for me,’ he whispered in her ear, moving his fingers inside of her roughly. She unravelled onto his finger and he took them out, sucking on them. She watched him hungrily as he did so, desperate for him. 

‘You’re so fit,’ Sirius muttered to her, thrusting his hips so she’d feel him. She moaned again. 

‘Fuck me, Sirius. Please,’ she whimpered to him. Sirius could feel her weakness as she relied on his strength to keep her up after her high. He became impossibly harder. 

He moved them to her bedroom and threw her on the newly made bed before climbing on top of her. He tugged her shirt off her and paused. She was beautiful. She was more perfect naked than Sirius could ever imagine, but he couldn’t admire her for as long as he wanted to. 

She was impatiently tugging on his boxers, his dick springing free.He felt his cockiness skyrocket as her eyes widened at his size. Girls had done that before, but it felt far more validating coming from the girl underneath him. She looked back up to his eyes. 

‘Fuck me. Now,’ she begged, wrapping her hands around his dick.He shivered from the sensation. Her hands felt unreal. She started stroking him and he knew he was going to come far to soon if he didn’t stop her. He saw her start shift her body downwards, licking her lips, so he ripped her hands away from him and locked them above her head.

‘Fuck no. I’m coming inside you first,’ he told her forcefully, watching as her eyes flashed with lust. ‘Do I need a condom?’ he asked, kissing her neck. He fucking hoped he didn’t.

‘I’m on the pill,’ she miraculously informed him, and he high-fived himself mentally with delight. 

He lowered himself down, and rubbed his tip in between her folds, watching her moan as he did so. Before he couldn’t take it anymore, he slid inside her. She gasped as he slid in fully, her wetness making it easy. He started moving in and out of her, first slowly so she could adjust to him, but then he couldn’t hold back. 

He fucked her, roughly, their moans filling the room as she screamed his name. He could almost feel himself black out from the pleasure she was giving him. He locked eyes with her.She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever been with. He leaned down to kiss her as he fucked her, silencing her moans for a moment. Nothing felt better than when he heard his name escape her mouth. It felt heavenly. 

They reached their highs together, and he adored watching her face as he made her come. He collapsed on top of her, still inside her as the breathed heavily. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. He started to move out of her when she stopped him. 

‘No. Stay,’ she whispered to him. If he had the energy, she would have made him hard all over again. Which wasn’t to say he wouldn’t, but they were both tired. 

Remaining inside her, he shifted them, so they were spooning, and he wrapped his arm around her, tight. Her breathing started to slow, telling him she was falling asleep.She wriggled her arse further into him, somehow managing to stiffen his dick inside her. He smirked.

He had just fucked Marlene McKinnon. 

And man, did he love it. 


	3. Bike

Human beings are scared of many strange things. When _The Exorcist_ first came out in cinemas, people were so scared and would run out of the cinema so often that theatres had priests overview every screening of the film. It made them feel safe.

Others are scared of spiders. A plethora of other bugs. Some of holes, many close together. Open water is scary for many, the feeling of no escape and something definitely swimming underneath you. A lot of people fear heights, their legs turning to jelly. And then there are a handful scared of estate agents. Human fear doesn’t respect the boundaries of rationality.

Sirius Black woke up scared. Scared of the fact he woke up in his neighbours flat. In her bedroom. Naked.

He whipped his head round to the other side of the bed to look at her, the morning light streaming through the large bedroom window, making her blonde hair twinkle. She was breathing slowly, still asleep.

 _Fuck,_ he thought. He began to sit up, his hand instantly smacking against his forehead. It was pounding. He’d had a lot to drink.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and groaned. He looked back over his shoulder at the blonde. She was covered up with the duvet, but she was naked under there.

She was so perfect. But Sirius knew nothing could ever come of it. Everything he touched turned to dust. He couldn’t watch her waste away. Not with him. He’d strip her of all her light.

He collected his clothes that lay scattered around the apartment and scarpered. They had stupidly left the front door unlocked as they were kissing, so he managed to slip out without having to search for a key.

He returned to Padfoot sitting behind the door, but his tail wasn’t wagging as it usually was when he returned from somewhere or other. Instead, his dog looked solemn, as though he knew Sirius had done something wrong.

‘Stop judging me,’ Sirius muttered to the dog bitterly and walked through to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water and brewing some coffee, Sirius made his way to his own bed, collapsing in it and pulling the covers over his head.

He didn’t speak to Marlene for a fortnight after that. He knew her routine pretty well by now, so he could be skilled in avoiding her. And he did so. He got back later in the evenings and left earlier in the mornings.

There were no texts, no calls, no nothing from her. Sirius couldn’t tell if he was glad or not. But he was sure of one thing. He missed her. And Padfoot did too. No Marlene meant no Lola.

He had apologised several times to him now, but it seemed no use. Padfoot seemed to be holding a grudge against him. 

Then one day, there was a knock on his door on a late Friday afternoon. He had left the office early that day. Friday evenings had been strange without Marlene’s pizza nights. He’d grown accustomed to them.

He opened the door to a pissed off Marlene. He looked down to see Lola run through their legs and run into his apartment to meet up with Padfoot. The two sniffed each other’s butt. Puppy love.

He looked back to Marlene. She was pissed.

‘You’re a prick, you know that,’ she stated before barging past him and into his apartment, following Lola. Shocked slightly, he followed to find her pacing up and down his living room, arms folded. He dreaded what was to come.

‘I know,’ he grumbled, scratching the back of his neck, and avoiding her eyes. She scoffed at his words.

‘You know, it’s not even that you just upped and left. I wanted sex just as much as you. Nothing more. And then you don’t talk to me for three weeks. I’m not even going to start on you clearly avoiding me. Do you know how demeaning that is?’ she spoke in a strangely calming voice. Even when she was telling him off, Marlene had the ability to soothe him.

Bloody hell, he was whipped.

‘Wait, you weren’t mad I left?’ Sirius asked, taking his mind of the topic of how hot she looked, standing there, angry at him.

‘ _No,_ you idiot! I was mad ‘cause you didn’t make any effort to contact me afterwards! In fact, you were very much trying to the _opposite_ of contact me. We’re mates, so what if we fucked! We can continue being mates,’ Marlene exasperated. That was something Sirius hadn’t been expecting.

‘You really think that?’ Sirius asked. Yes, he thought Marlene was gorgeous, and funny and smart, but he wasn’t sure he’d want anything more with her, other than what they’d done. Besides, why would she want a relationship with a screw up like him anyway.

‘Yes, now what are your plans for the day? I don’t care what it is, I’m gate-crashing them,’ Marlene said demandingly. That made Sirius grin.

‘Well, actually, I just got my bike license. I was going to pick up my first one today,’ he told her. She frowned back at him.

‘What, like, a _bike_ bike? One you have to pedal on? I did not know you needed a license for one in London,’ Marlene responded. Sirius couldn’t help but laugh, the look of confusion on her face adorable.

‘No, a motorbike, stupid! I’m getting a Harley.’

‘A Harley, that’s sexy,’ Marlene winked.

‘It’s what I do best.’

So they got on the Tube and headed to on of London’s motorbike shops that Marlene couldn’t have said she’d ever been to. It was beautiful, the studio filled with shiny motorbikes. She walked around, admiring them as Sirius filled in the paperwork with one of the salesmen.

‘That your girl?’ the salesman named Ross asked Sirius as he signed his signature. He was observing Marlene as ink flowed from the pen Sirius was holding, and Sirius followed his eyeline. She really did look pretty, observing those bikes.

‘No, she’s just a friend,’ Sirius replied. And then paused. He didn’t know what compelled him to be so honest. The guy was staring down Marlene like prey, checking her out. ‘But she does have a boyfriend,’ he added quickly, and a bit too loudly.

‘Shame, she’s a right sort,’ Ross said in his Essex accent. ‘Anyway, Mr Black, that’s you bike all sorted.’

‘Cheers,’ Sirius replied shortly, grabbing the keys out the salesman’s hand quickly. Another worker then took Sirius to retrieve the bike. He was all but too happy to never see Ross again.

He came back, bike in tow, to see Ross speaking with Marlene. She was giggling and tucking a stray piece of blonde, curly hair behind her ear as Ross grinned to her. Sirius felt his fist tighten around the handlebar of the bike.

‘Marls, let’s go,’ he called out to her and she turned grinning to him with a nod. She said a quick goodbye to Ross, before running over to Sirius, Ross’s eyes on her the whole time.

 _Prick,_ Sirius thought. He had a violent urge to punch the smirk of his face.

‘Hey, you in the mood to get some dinner?’ Marlene asked as she sat on the back of the bike, placing a helmet elegantly on her head.

‘What you thinking?’ Sirius asked. He could feel his heartbeat start to race and she encircled her arms around his waist and placed her head on his back, making herself comfortable. He hated how his heart did that as her hands rested against his abs.

‘Surprise me,’ she said dreamily. Sirius cocked his eyebrows before starting the bike and speeding off from the garage. Far away from Ross.

He took them to a seafood restaurant, in the mood for fish and chips. They ordered easily and sat there, drinking wine, and enjoying the conversation they provided for each other. Sirius had missed that. She was so easy to talk to, easier than any girl he’d ever met. She could spin a conversation out of nothing and even made friends with the couple sitting next to her. Sirius just sat there, admiring her. She was exquisite.

‘So,’ she started. They were sat in a now emptying restaurant, having sat there for hours. The staff were getting more and more irritated at them for it. ‘You told that Ross that I have a boyfriend.’

Sirius gulped some water. ‘And?’ he asked. Marlene only smirked at his response.

‘I was wondering why, since you know very well that I don’t have a boyfriend,’ she spoke playfully. Sirius knew what she was doing. She was trying to tease him, and she normally did very well at that.

‘He was a tool, you didn’t want to deal with someone like that,’ Sirius replied simply. His response only made her grin more.

‘Fair enough. I trust your judgement. Now all my love life decisions go through you Mr Black,’ she winked, finishing off her wine. Pinot Noir, this time. Odd choice with fish, Sirius thought, but then, the girl sat in front of him was odd.

‘Oh, I don’t know, I don’t think you want me handling affairs of the heart,’ Sirius chuckled, Marlene eyes him thoughtfully.

‘Why not?’

‘I’m shite at that stuff. My only long lasting relationships are with James and Remus and they laid out most of the groundwork for that. I start feeling attached, I panic,’ he started blurting out.

‘Why do you think that is.’

‘My parents. Can’t say I was very appreciated as a child, or loved. That shit fucks you up,’ Sirius looked down at his plate as he said. He looked to the girl in front of him. She didn’t look at him with pity or sadness. She just understood. ‘Sorry, that was depressing.’

‘Don’t be,’ she replied, waving over one of the waiters. ‘It’s good to get that shit off your chest sometimes, even if you have said it a hundred times. Feels different to each person you say it to and makes the load lighter.’

‘Cash or card?’

‘This is London, obviously card,’ Marlene grinned up to the waiter, who nodded and went to collect the card machine. Sirius began taking his wallet out.

‘I got it,’ he said, taking out one of his cards, but Marlene started shaking her head.

‘Yeah, _no,_ absolutely not, you just bought a bike today. This one’s on me,’ she argued as the waiter came back over.

‘No, Marls -’ Sirius started, but was cut off as Marlene was already shoving her cards in the slot. He shook his head, staring her down for her action, to which she simply returned a cheeky smile.

‘I looked like a dickhead in there, making the girl pay,’ he complained to her as they left the restaurant, heading back to the bike. She rolled her eyes at him.

‘Oh, shut up! It’s the twenty-first century, and I refuse to let the guy always pay. I’m a self-sustaining woman,’ she replied happily.

‘And women say chivalry is dead,’ Sirius smirked, throwing a leg over his bike to straddle it. Marlene followed.

‘That’s because men have let it die rather than evolve,’ Marlene said before patting his shoulder. ‘But you’re one of the good few, my boy.’

Those words made his head spin.

He took them back home, parking the bike in the apartment blocks underground garage before they headed to their respective flats.

‘Hey, Marls,’ he called out, just as she was unlocking the door next to his. ‘Thanks for today.’

‘You’re welcome, Black. I’m great fun to have around, you were just to prideful to admit it,’ she said cheekily, throwing him yet another wink. ‘See you soon,’ she bid him farewell, locking her door behind her.

Sirius entered his own, collapsing onto his couch.

He liked her. Like, really liked her. He was stupid and in denial if he didn’t admit it. But she wouldn’t want to be with him like that, why would she. Not after what he’d blurted out tonight. He essentially admitted he could never be in a relationship.

But it ate him up, the thought of her being with someone else. Someone else kissing her, touching what he’d touched. In his mind, he was her, always would be. But it didn’t work the opposite way round. She told him, it was just sex. She knew he didn’t amount to a relationship.

 _Fuck_ , he yelled in his brain. _Fancying women is hard._


	4. Concert

Sirius hadn’t expected her to be there, in all her blonde glory. When James told him he had a spare ticket to an _Arctic Monkeys_ concert, Sirius was more than happy to take it. What James had conveniently left out was that Lily had gotten the other extra ticket and had given it to Marlene. Sirius knew James had left that fact out, conveniently, because of the smirk that graced James’s face when Sirius saw the three of them, waiting for him.

‘Hey, you should have told me you were coming, we could have come together,’ Sirius said after he greeted the three of them, each with a hug. How she wasn’t cold in the bralette she’d came in, was beyond him. But he was enjoying the view.

‘I didn’t know you were coming either, but I came straight from work anyway,’ Marlene laughed, smiling up at him.

‘You went to work like that?’ Lily asked, her expression like that.

‘Nah, I don’t move mad like that, I changed. Can’t have chemicals spilling onto me looking like this,’ Marlene explained, amused.

She did look very pretty.

They headed into the standing area of the concert, the boys pushing past people to make a clear way for them to the front. They got some dirty looks as a result, but they didn’t particularly care. They could hear Lily apologising to people they passed.

Once they got to the front, James pulled Lily in front of him, encircling his arms around her waist and kissing her on the neck. They took up less room together.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius could see Marlene stood next to him. She was grinning as she looked up to the stage, eagerly anticipating the bands arrival. She looked extraordinary. Their elbows were brushing against one another.

 _Fuck it,_ he thought to himself and wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her in front of her. She looked surprised as he did it, but then smirked, looking back at him as he wrapped his other arm around her. He refused to look at James.

‘You alright there?’ she asked him with a smile, amusement clear in her voice. She had to find everything so damn funny, didn’t she?

‘Yeah, I’m good,’ Sirius replied nonchalantly. She turned back round as the lights grew dark and the concert started. He couldn’t help but smirk. He had her in his arms. It felt good.

The concert was incredible. The atmosphere had been amazing. By eleven at night, when it finished, they felt deaf and happy, slightly tipsy from all the beer they’d drank.

‘Shit,’ James said as they stood outside the Tube station. He returned from speaking to one of the staff members. ‘All the trains are down, nothings running. At least not tonight.’

‘Well, that incredibly helpful,’ Lily huffed, crossing her arms. ‘So what do we do?’

‘We could get a taxi,’ Sirius offered.

‘That’s going to cost a fortune at this time of night, even with an Uber. Especially with the distance we have to travel,’ James reverted the idea.

‘We can always try to find a hotel, stay here for the night. There’s a Premier Inn not too far down the road. A night would cost less than a cab,’ Marlene proposed.

‘Yeah, that sounds good, let’s do that. I’m exhausted anyway, and I can’t be arsed waiting around,’ Lily said, pulling James’s jacket tighter around her.

‘Well, let’s go quickly, ‘cause a load of people probably have a similar idea. Rooms will be booking up quick,’ James took charge, and the four of them started marching briskly to the large purple hotel sign.

He was right. A lot of people did have the same idea, and the desk to the reception was already rather long. Getting to the front took a while.

‘Hi, is it possible that you have a double and two singles left open?’ Lily asked the receptionist. She clacked her fingers against the keyboard, eyes wide on the screen.

‘I’m very sorry, the only rooms we have left available for tonight are two doubles and then we’re booked up,’ the receptionist apologised, her eyes flitting between the four of them. Lily turned to look at Marlene.

‘We could always share a room if you’d like, that’s another option around it,’ Lily suggested, but Marlene shook her head.

‘No, don’t be silly! You go with James, Sirius and I are fine sharing a room together, right?’ Marlene insisted, glancing back at Sirius behind her shoulder. Startled slightly, Sirius nodded quickly.

‘Yeah, it’s good.’

‘Alright then. Those two rooms then please,’ Lily smiled at the receptionist who nodded happily. Filling out the final paperwork, she handed over four key cards and they headed to the elevators.

‘You alright with me going for a shower first?’ Marlene asked as she and Sirius entered the room together. She looked up at him, wide eyed.

‘Not at all, have fun,’ Sirius smiled, which she accepted thankfully. Grabbing one of the towels that lay on the bed, she went and locked herself in the bathroom.

Sirius’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

 _Get down here, to the bar,_ a text from James spelled out to him. Sirius frowned and grabbed one of the key cards, leaving the room.

James was sat at the empty bar, with two glasses of scotch in front of him. His head turned as he heard Sirius walk in and he gestured to the scotch with his hand, enticing Sirius to sit down.

‘What’s up?’ Sirius asked, hitching himself up onto the barstool. He could see James smirking out of the corner of his eyes, the lights of the bar low.

‘You gonna shag her tonight?’ James asked bluntly. Sirius scoffed.

‘What?’

‘When’s the last time you shagged her?’ James continued, locking his hazel eyes with Sirius’s grey ones. They grey ones rolled. Sirius could lie, but he knew there was no point. James could always see straight through him.

‘It only happened once. It was that night you all came over for drinks.’

‘The night you kissed her?’

‘Yes.’

James let out a light laugh. ‘You’re something else, mate.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You’re still mates with her, that’s what.’

‘You’ve lost me.’

‘Sirius, you have _never_ stayed friends with a girl you fucked, in fact, you run the other way every time you have, ‘cause you have issues. But you’ve kept her around,’ James exposed Sirius. And then a look of realisation crossed his face. ‘Shit, you like her!’

‘Fuck off.’

‘Oh my God, you really fucking like her!’ James cackled.

‘You have absolutely _no_ proof of that, whatsoever.’

‘You’re fucking head over heels, mate,’ James smirked over the rim of his glass. Sirius set his down on the bar, roughly.

‘Okay, I might fancy her a bit,’ Sirius admitted, the unwillingness to confess very clear in his tone. It made James chuckle.

‘So … why haven’t you asked her out?’

‘Because she deserves so much fucking better than me,’ Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair. ‘I’m messed up, she doesn’t want someone like me! No one does, but especially not her! There’s a reason I sleep around.’

‘Because it prevents anything real from actually happening.’

‘Exactly,’ Sirius emphasised. ‘I can’t make her deal with me. It’s not fair on her.’

‘Sirius,’ James breathed, ‘I’ve seen you with a lot of girls. You’ve never been like this. And from experience, you don’t do well when someone else has got what you want. She’s going to get a boyfriend someday, and you’re not going to be able to handle it, even if you somehow convince yourself the two of you are just friends! It will eat you up, watching her kiss someone else, touch someone else. You’ll end up destroying your friendship.’

Sirius sighed. ‘So what do you suppose I do? I don’t even know why I’m asking you that, you’re a hopeless romantic.’

James scoffed. ‘Sirius, you have one hell of a girl up there. A girl that actually got you to like her. Don’t be an idiot about it.’

James gulped down the last of his scotch and stood up. He clapped Sirius on the back, muttering that he’d see him in the morning and left. Sirius’s head was spinning.

He slid the key card in the slot of his and Marlene’s room and opened it. The slight that beheld him, he was pretty sure that his heart was about to fall out of his chest.

She was sat on her phone, at the end of the bed, one leg crossed over the other, in a white fluffy towel. She looked up as the door shut behind him and smiled. Her blonde was wet and darker down her back. Sirius wanted nothing more than to run his hands through it as he pulled her close to him.

‘Showers free,’ she said lightly.

‘Thanks,’ Sirius muttered, heading for the bright light that illuminated the adjoining tiled room.

‘By the way,’ her voice stopped him just before he went into the bathroom, ‘can I borrow your shirt to sleep in? I haven’t really got anything else,’ she chuckled.

 _You’re fucking messing with me here_ , Sirius thought, staring up at the ceiling as he took a deep, silent breath.

‘Sure,’ he mused and took off his shirt, tossing it to Marlene around the wall before locking the bathroom door and leaning against it. He couldn’t look at her just there. She was driving him insane.

He found it in his best interests to take a cold shower, despite it probably having no effect on his current train of thoughts. He turned of the water, feeling freshened up and stepped out, drying himself off. He slipped his black boxers back on and unlocked the bathroom.

If she was going to tease him, he was going to tease her right back.

He stepped out and froze in motion. She was stood there, TV remote in hand, in his shirt that hit the top of her thighs. Why was she always wearing a top that hit the top of her thighs?

She smiled at him.

‘You want to watch something before we sleep?’ she asked as she began climbing under the cover and flipping open the covers on his side for him to get in. His breath hitched.

‘Sure you don’t want me to sleep on the sofa?’ he gestured to the small grey couch in the corner of the room. Marlene sent him a look that made him feel like he was crazy.

‘Get in here. For that behaviour, I’m choosing the movie,’ Marlene, which made him smirk.

He climbed in under the duvet with her, feeling her heat radiate and spread to him.

‘Your t-shirts really comfy, by the way,’ she told him, focused on the television.

Sirius tried his best to not react. Now she _had_ to be teasing him. She _had_ to be.

‘Glad to be of service,’ he replied, urging the stiffening in his dick to go down.

Marlene picked a movie. _Breakfast at Tiffany’s,_ and he was fairly glad. It was the kind of film you could easily drift to sleep to.

But, apparently, the blonde had other plans for him. She place the remote down and shifted herself along the bed, closer to him. Eventually, she settled her head on his bare shoulder, one had settled underneath her and the other on his stomach, extremely close to the band line of his boxers. _Extremely_ close. Her fucking finger was basically on it.

Praying that she couldn’t hear his heart, he wrapped an arm around her. Needless to say he couldn’t fall asleep. She did easily. He fingers her eventually touching her bare skin as his t-shirt rode up on her. He watched the movie fully.

She started stirring as the end credits started to roll. Her eyes opened at exactly two a.m.

‘Shit, sorry, did I fall asleep?’ she asked, pushing herself up slightly. It ended up in her face being mere inches from his, beautiful, tired eyes staring into his.

‘Don’t be. You were tired,’ Sirius said, his gaze involuntarily slipping from her eyes to her lips and back.

‘Yeah, but you must be tired too,’ she said. Sirius couldn’t handle it. Those blue eyes were staring at him with so much care.

So he kissed her. Gently. Kindly. Softly. He felt his body catch alight as he wrapped a hand around her neck. And she was kissing him back, again.

He felt the duvet get moved off him and before he could comprehend what was going on, she was straddling, cupping his face with her hands. She moved against him, his hardness instantly pressing against her. She smirked into the kiss, which made him smile too.

‘Don’t know what you’re smiling about, love,’ he muttered against her lips cockily. He wrapped one arm her waist to pull her in further. Her wetness was seeping through his boxers like someone had poured water on him.

‘And for that comment, you’re not getting on top tonight,’ she giggled against him. It made his heart quicken instantly.

As she began pulling his dick out of his boxers, he moved his hands up her shirt, _his_ shirt, running over her smooth, bare back. She wasn’t wearing a bra. And we couldn’t be more fucking glad that she wasn’t.

‘Wait, Marls. Are you sure?’ Sirius asked as he began to kiss down her neck. She threw her head back and moaned, giving him more access.

‘What do you think,’ she mumbled, forcing his head back up and kissing him, with so much passion that it made him go lightheaded.

‘Get. This. _Off,_ ’ Sirius demanded, a new dominance overcoming him. He removed his shirt off her body, leaving her naked on top of him. Before he could appreciate her naked body the way he wanted, she slid herself onto him, making him shudder with pleasure.

She rode him, hard. He kissed her everywhere, her body like nicotine on his lips. She was addictive, insatiable. She moved up and down on him in the most delicious way.

Sex with Marlene was unreal. He knew sex with anyone else had no chance of ever competing. She knew him better than he knew himself, moved, kissed, nipped in all the ways that made him feel like he was about to black out from pleasure. No one had been able to do that before. And he never wanted to let her out of his arms. 


	5. Dates

There seemed to be a running theme. They’d fuck and then avoid each other for a bit. There had been a few texts sent about here and there, but not much. Certainly not to the level of a pizza night.

It had actually left Sirius quite confused because this time, it seemed to be coming from her court, the avoidance. They had appeared fine the morning after at the hotel. She had slept in his arms and cuddled. Had breakfast with Lily and James. It almost felt like a double date.

But he hadn’t seen her properly since then, and it had been a few weeks. He had thought several times of pulling what she had on him and just bombarding her in her flat. But he didn’t want to seem desperate. And that was before James gave him the news.

Apparently, she had been dating. Which pissed him off for all obvious reasons. And perhaps some not obvious ones. Particularly to her.

He probably hadn’t made his feelings towards her clear. Which is exactly what James was saying to him now. But then, did he want to?

He and James were sat in a pub, both with a pint in front of them, talking about his struggles, which Sirius wasn’t very good at. He liked his privacy.

‘I told you someone else was going to snatch her up,’ James said in his most infuriating “I-told-you-so” voice.

‘We fucked that night, though,’ Sirius kept repeating as he took a sip of his beer. James shook his head in very dad-like way.

‘She probably knows what you’re like and thinks you just want her to keep your bed warm,’ James replied.

‘And what if that is all I want? I can get over her,’ Sirius grumbled.

‘Oh no, my dear boy, you can’t,’ James chuckled. ‘You are well and truly whipped and you know it.’

‘Who is it that she’s even dating?’

‘I dunno. Lily said it was some guy named Ross,’ James announced. He had never seen Sirius’s face grow to one of such irritation so quickly.

‘You’ve _got_ to be fucking with me,’ Sirius groaned.

‘No, why?’

‘That’s the guy from the stupid bike dealers, I bet you anything,’ Sirius dropped his head into his hands. James couldn’t help but begin to let out some soft chortles.

‘You are such a twat, mate,’ James laughed, completely uncomforting and patting Sirius on the back.

Sirius soaked up the information of who Marlene was dating over the next few days. Even Padfoot started whining at the amount he was wallowing in self-pity.

He tried to think of what he would do if he was a normal bloke in a situation like this. Go and get laid to stick it to her? Rub the girl in her face.

Kinky.

But he wasn’t really like other guys. Not on an emotional front.

Sat on a Friday night in front of the TV, still with his suit from work, drinking a cider while Padfoot laid by his side, enjoying the massage Sirius was giving him. He heard voices in the corridor. One was distinctly Marlene’s. The other one was guys. Presumably, Ross’s.

His fist tightened around the cider bottle.

He heard them bid each other goodbye and then a pair of heavy footsteps walking away. He gritted his teeth.

‘Fuck it, Padfoot,’ he murmured, and Padfoot gave a short bark, almost as if encouraging him. Sirius stepped out of his own flat and knocked on the door next to it.

She opened the door quickly. She looked very pretty as usual. Slightly confused at his arrival as well, a frown on her face. Though Sirius could probably guess, her forehead was nowhere near as creased as his was.

‘You alright?’ she asked impassively. That only riled him up more.

‘Really? Him? Of all people? _Really?’_ Sirius blurted out. Before she could say anything he stormed past her and into the centre of the flat, hands on his hips.

‘Excuse me?’ she asked, her annoyance showing.

‘Out of all the people in the _fucking_ world, you had to choose _him,_ ’ Sirius emphasised, almost laughing at the situation. Marlene’s confusion turned to a glare.

‘Last time I checked, I didn’t have to report back to you on the people I choose to date,’ she defended herself, crossing her arms. Sirius tried not to focus on how fit she looked, glaring at him like that.

‘He’s a tool, he’s not good enough for you,’ Sirius argued like a toddler. She rolled her eyes at him.

‘ _Ross_ is actually very lovely, if you must know,’ Marlene enunciated his name, as if to spite Sirius. The sound of it made a shiver crawl up his spine.

‘He could be fucking Gandhi, for all I care, he’s not good enough for you,’ Sirius paced the room.

‘Oh, and I suppose you know best what’s good for me,’ she drawled sarcastically.

‘I know it’s not him!’

‘Why are you getting so annoyed? What’s it to you who I date?’ she asked incredulously, her eyes following the tall man that strode around her living room.

‘You can’t just date anyone, they’ve got to be special!’ Sirius droned on. He had to admit, he was boring even himself a little now.

‘And I’ll find someone like that, it might be Ross, it might not be - OH MY GOD, will you STOP pacing!’ she yelled suddenly, stopping Sirius in his tracks. She then changed her expression. ‘What on earth is this about?’

‘I’ve told you about five times.’

‘No, you’ve given me excuses.’

‘I don’t understand what the issue is.’

‘Well, that’s not my problem.’

‘Fucking hell, you sound like a six year old!’

‘A six year old with a better brain for dating than you, apparently!’

‘You are unbelievable!’ Marlene exclaimed. ‘What gives you the right to walk in here and start condemning me on how I go about my love life?’

‘Because it’s clear that you need the help!’

That’s rich, coming from you!’ Marlene scoffed.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Oh, please, all you do is fuck girls and leave them out to dry.’

‘That’s not true!’

‘Oh, yes it is! Name one girl you’ve fucked and then not ditched instantly.’

‘You’re fucking one of them!’

‘Damn, do I deserve a medal? I had the miraculous Sirius Black’s dick in me twice over, does that qualify for a knighthood from the fucking Queen?’

‘You’re different and you know that.’

‘How, Sirius? How am I different?’ she demanded.

‘BECAUSE I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!’

Silence fell over them. Marlene’s eyes had widened to the eyes of plates at his words.

He hadn’t meant for the words to fall off his tongue like that. To be honest, he didn’t even know he felt like that. But they were true. He knew it.

He was in love with Marlene McKinnon. Really, properly in love. And he didn’t want her with anyone else. _He_ wanted her.

He didn’t care that he was damaged and broken with her. She made him whole, she filled him up with so much love and happiness. She was all he needed. He _needed_ her.

She was still staring at him shocked. His hand instantly went to the back of his neck, scratching it. He always did that when he was nervous.

‘What?’ Marlene broke the silence softly, disbelief still present on her face.

‘I - uh - I have to go,’ Sirius stuttered and ran out of her apartment before anything else could be said.

He lay in his bed, paralysed. He couldn’t sleep. He had never uttered those words to anyone, not in that context. Ever. And it terrified him.

They sounded so foreign, dripping off his tongue. But they had felt so right. More right than many other things in his life. He wanted her in his life. More than anything. But she would never take him now. Not after the scene he’d just pulled.

There was a soft tap on his front door. He got out of bed and opened it. Marlene was stood there, in her pyjamas. More nervous than Sirius had ever seen her.

‘I love you too.’ 


	6. Brother

Marlene was fully aware she basically had no use for her own flat anymore. Not only did she spend practically every night at Sirius’s, but her dog, Lola, hadn’t left the flat since they’d gotten together. The thought made her smile as she took the Tube home.

Six months together. She was almost surprised. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Sirius, but he had been known as a ladies man before, but James had confirmed that he was completely head over heels for her. James said he liked her in a way he’d never seen Sirius like a girl before.

Marlene had never seen herself as the type to settle down. All the cringey stuff she’d seen couple do and talk about had never seemed appealing to her. She had never wanted to give a man so much power in her life, have herself depend on a man so easily. But Sirius was no ordinary man. And she found herself doing all the cringey stuff with him. He made it feel good and special.

She remembered the first time she had properly admired him naked, about two months into their relationship. Sure, before then she had always appreciated the strong, toned muscles, but she had never drank them in, simply looked at him.

They’d just had sex and he had stood up to stretch for a second. Snuggled in the covers she admired him and had been filled with an overwhelming sense of love. He caught her ogling him and smirked, something that she would then normally roll her eyes at.

But this time, she couldn’t She continued admiring him, every curve, every definition, every freckle, every tattoo. He was so all-consumingly beautiful that she almost wanted to cry. She wanted him close to her again so she could hug him, unable to get him close enough, but also wanted to keep staring at him.

‘I don’t think you understand just how fucking fit you are,’ she mumbled to him, making his smirk widen as he stood before her. ‘Seriously, you drive me fucking insane,’ she added, closing her eyes, and rubbing them as she felt the mattress dip with his weight and his arms wrap around her.

‘I reckon I get it,’ he’d replied teasingly. ‘You’re insanely gorgeous too, Marley.’

Marlene shook her head and grabbed his faced between her hands, cupping him.

‘No, truly Sirius. I can’t even describe it, you’re fucking stunning and I definitely don’t tell you enough,’ she stared into his eyes and pushed out a small strand of hair away from them.

‘I love you Marley. More than anything, more than you can imagine,’ Sirius replied, capturing her lips in his. It was a simple kiss. A kiss of love. No lust, no ulterior motives, or intentions. Just pure, unadulterated love.

‘I love you. More than you know,’ Marlene replied.

She stepped off the Tube and bounded up the station, into the early summer air and made her way back to the apartments.

She was planning on cooking a meal for her and Sirius tonight, as Wednesday’s were usually days when he worked the latest at the law firm. His favourite food was a creamy risotto and she was excited to surprise him. She wasn’t the best cook, so she did what she could.

She had burned a few too many things in Sirius’s flat while she’d been cooking, but he had always laughed it off and kissed her before fixing it with his own magic hands. They’d had a good dinner that night. The embarrassing part of it, was her only job was to make the garlic bread. Which came out of a packet. Straight into the oven. She still burned it.

Chuckling to herself, she shoved the key in the lock and turned it. She pushed on the handle, but the door didn’t open.

Odd. Had she forgotten to lock the door behind her this morning? Sirius always left first, and she was the one who locked up. Swallowing, she turned the key the other way to open the door. She hoped to God nobody had been in.

She walked in to find the place trashed and her stomach dropped to her feet. She dropped her bag to the floor and took a few feeble steps forward, running a strained hand though her hair. But then she paused.

The TV was still there. Her laptop, which she had no need for at work that day, was still sat on the coffee table where she liked to leave it. A robber would have surely taken that, along with the TV. She went into the kitchen to find Sirius’s state of the art coffee machine still there, along with everything else. She frowned confused.

She padded through to the bedroom and stopped in her tracks.

Sirius was crumpled on the floor of the bedroom, the glass of the mirror which was previously attached to the wardrobe now shattered in pieces. Sirius looked a mess. His hair was standing up in all directions and, his hands wrung through it. His shirt was tucked out if his trousers, his belt strewn on the unmade bed and he had ripped his tie away from his neck as though it had been choking him.

Marlene’s eyes widened as she further took in the room. Even the lightbulbs from the overhead and bedside lights were smashed. Sirius hadn’t acknowledge her entrance. She dropped to the floor next to him and slowly inched her hand to his. Her fingertips touched his and he pulled away instantly, as though she had shocked him.

‘Sirius,’ she whispered cautiously, worried she would startle him. He was like a deer in headlights, shaking, shivering, unwilling to take in his surroundings. ‘Sirius, what happened?’

He started panting. Heavily. It was as though his breath was constricted and trapped, breaths unable to enter or exit his body. Marlene understood his actions instantly. He was having a panic attack, a really bad one.

She moved as smoothly as possible out of the bedroom and then ran to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. Finding all the glasses smashed, she found a mug she couldn’t keep in the cupboards due to lack of space and filled it from the tap. Only then did she take in the floor of the kitchen. Covered in glass and ceramics that Sirius had smashed, causing her to do a double take.

She made her way back to the bedroom, to Sirius, to see he was panting less, but his breath was still sketchy.

He looked up to her, looked at her for the first time, in the doorway. His eyes were red and bloodshot. It scared Marlene a little. She had seen Sirius upset, but nothing like this.

She moved closer to him, the mug of water in her hand. This time, Sirius allowed her to touch him, comfort him in some way. He was limp and lost, unable to talk. His eyes started darting all over the room in panic and Marlene caught his jaw cupped in her hand.

‘It’s okay,’ she whispered to him. ‘It’s okay. You’re safe.’

Piercing grey eyes stared into her blue. He looked so broken. She didn’t know what to do.

‘Reg -,’ Sirius stuttered, barely audible, ‘Regu-Regulus.’

Marlene had only met Regulus once. It had been the most awkward encounter she’d ever seen Sirius in, and she wasn’t even sure she could class it as meeting someone. They’d barely exchanged two words.

The two brothers looked extremely alike, it was almost hard to believe they weren’t twins. The same dark hair, same grey eyes, same slim, yet strong build. But there was something about Regulus that seemed more childish, less manly than Sirius. As though he hadn’t quite grown up yet.

They had met him in a coffee shop one Saturday, completely unexpected. She and Sirius had been sat next to the window when he spotted Regulus walk in, dressed in black. He almost made Marlene do a double take, as she thought Sirius’s doppelganger had walked in.

The two brothers caught each other’s gaze and clung, almost as though challenging the other to look away first. Marlene’s eyes flitted between the two nervously before she took one of Sirius’s hands in her own. She squeezed it reassuringly and he turned to look at her before awarding a reluctant grimace. Then, with his other hand, he waved his estranged brother over.

It had been an uncomfortable encounter that ended in glares and spats. Nips and bites at each other. Marlene had barely been introduced before the small arguments started.

They were about their parents, and family life. Something Sirius hadn’t spoken to Marlene about much. It was a touchy subject for the eldest Black brother, and she didn’t want to push him. She, however, did not realise quite the extent to which his parents had abused them.

She had seen the scars that the tattoos attempted to cover up, and they did a good job. But not to the touch. Sirius had been slashed and scarred and beaten and bruised by his parents. Abuse at its finest most perfect form as it drew from physical, emotional, and physical.

‘You left!’ Regulus growled at his brother. ‘You fucking left.’

‘I had to,’ Sirius bit in response. ‘You know I did! I couldn’t stay there, not with them. Not for another second, you know that. They hated me.’

‘They didn’t hate you, they just didn’t agree with you.’

‘Bullshit -’

‘You left _me!_ ’ Regulus strained. ‘Don’t you get it? You left me with _them!_ You saved yourself and didn’t look back, you didn’t care!’

Sirius had no words to respond with. He stared back at his younger brother with an air of pity and respect and Regulus shot daggers back of anger and pain. So much pain.

Before he left, Regulus turned to Marlene.

‘Good luck with this fucking train wreck. You’re going to need it. I may be fucked up, but there is no one more fucked in the head than him,’ Regulus stood up. ‘You’re pretty. Find a good man.’

That had caused an argument in their apartment that night.

‘Don’t you see, he’s right Marlene! I’m not good enough for you, never was and never will be!’ Sirius yelled as he paced, Marlene stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

‘And I keep telling you, you’re fucking delusional! How dare you! Have you learned nothing while being with me, do you not know who I am?’ Marlene yelled back, before calming down again. ‘Sirius, you’re my everything,’ she said softly.

‘I WILL DESTROY YOU, DON’T YOU GET IT!’ Sirius bellowed. He yelled like he’d never yelled at her before. ‘EVERYTHING I TOUCH TURNS TO DUST! I’M DONE, FINISHED! And I can’t do that to you,’ Sirius broke down into tears and crumpled to the sofa, his head in his hands.

Marlene dropped to her knees in front of him and kiss the top of his head through his soft hair.

‘I love you,’ she whispered, ‘I love you so much. If you make me leave, that’ll destroy me. I’ll die twice if you leave.’

Marlene came back to earth, watching the broken man in front of her yet again on the bedroom floor. Sirius was looking back into her, eyes red, bloodshot, and watery.

It broke Marlene’s heart. Truly completely broke it. To see him like this, to see him so scared, so terrified, so shattered, like a glass doll. And he was still beautiful, despite everything.

‘Regulus,’ Sirius repeated. ‘Regulus is dead.’


End file.
